Summer of 60 Pins, #6: My Baking History

This is #6 because apparently I can't count and went from #5 to #7. That's why I'm a speech path. Words and sounds are my world.

I can't talk about baking without crediting and thanking my mom. I'm not formally trained. I can read a recipe, measure accurately, and separate and beat egg whites into soft and stiff peaks. My mom taught me about the importance of real butter long before Paula Deen, or even FoodNetwork, came on the scene.

As I was baking 8 dozen bar cookies for tomorrow's IMPACT, I thought about how many pins I could add to my challenge of 60. However, this has become more about recording what I learned from my mom in a way my kids will understand, through not only doing, because both kids will help out in the kitchen, but also through technology.

Why I love baking:First, the memories. I remember lugging up the record player from the basement to the kitchen so we could listen to Andy Williams' red and green Christmas albums during holiday baking. I remember having pneumonia and my aunt Billie baking apple dumplings that she said would have Furr's coming from Lubbock to beg for. I remember Mom trying to teach me how to make gravy from drippings, one thing I've never mastered (along with gumbo).

Second, baking gives me a sense of accomplishment, something I'm apparently all about this summer. My mom always said a cake from scratch didn't take much more time than a mix. People always seem amazed with bakers. And at any potluck I've ever been to, home-baked good are gone long before store-bought items are even opened.

Third, I'm trying to see baking as my gift. I cannot have a never-ending supply of baked good around the house. But I can share with people in my life.